US: Invasive Species Rapid Response After Action Report Grant Program

Deadline: 29-Apr-22

The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is now accepting applications for the Invasive Species Rapid Response After Action Report Grant Program.

The incident involving moss balls elicited calls for action at local, state, tribal, regional, national, and international levels to:

stop the importation of zebra mussel contaminated moss ball products into the United States,
locate and dispose of existing contaminated products in the U.S. supply chain, and
conduct outreach to industry and home aquarists to prevent the release of zebra mussels into the environment.

Objectives to be addressed under this assessment include:

Establish the timeline of actions taken to respond to the Marimo moss ball incident;
Describe the roles and responsibilities of applicable Federal agencies, including interaction with state agencies and industry sectors;
Evaluate the working relationship among Federal agencies at ports of entry;
Identify potential obstacles to effective import regulation at the Federal level associated with the commerce of aquatic organisms known to be associated with the aquarium, water garden, and pet trade;
Evaluate information sharing (timing, mechanisms, and content) between and among the multiple parties (e.g., Federal and State agencies, industry sectors, businesses, public) involved throughout the response; and
Identify potential strengths, gaps, and limitations of the Federal response.